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Good Bird Toys?

ParaGhost

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Next time i'm heading out i'm gonna stop at the pet store and I was wondering whats the best bird toy you could find at Petco or Petsmart or just brand in general? I have 4 budgies and they are very active. Oh, and my budget is 30-40 dollars.:shop2:
 

taxidermynerd

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All of our vendors here on Avian Avenue are great! My budgie's favorite shop is Lil Monsters Bird Toys, which is run by @Mizzely .

Otherwise, most of the toys at Petco and PetSmart are overpriced trash (and sometimes outright dangerous, like using unsafe metal). The one brand that I do like that I see in Petco is Super Bird Creations, those are pretty high quality and made of safe materials. My budgie has a lot of toys of that brand that he adores.

Or you can buy toy-making supplies from shops like California Bird Nerds or makeyourownbirdtoys.com (which is a sister site to Super Bird Creations) and make your own toys. It can be a good way to try out new stuff, and it can be cheaper too!

Here's the AA vendor list: List of Vendors and AA Store Profiles
 

Bryan Black

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With $30-$40 you can go to Planet Pleasures and get some toys there shipped to your door. My Pip loves their toys made out of mahogany pods like the crunchy munchy. They do free shipping on orders over $35 and you can get three or four toys with that. I am kind of new here so do not know about the people that have stores where but I have used Planet Pleasures a lot..

Planet Pleasures All-Natural Bird and Parrot Toys, Perches & Swings
 
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tka

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A lot of commercial bird toys are either unsafe (contain toxic metals or a bird can injure themself with them) or are made of unsuitable materials. For example, your little budgies will probably enjoy soft woods like balsa, cardboard, palm leaves, wicker, finger traps and similar. The bird toys I've seen in pet shops are often made of plastic, hardwood or bamboo, all of which are very hard to chew and which won't be much fun for your birds. They might look pretty but your birds won't be able to interact with them.

@Mizzely is the queen of toys for little birds and can put together a toybox for your budget or suggest some starter toys so you can work out what your flock enjoys. These are the toys for small-medium birds: Small/Medium Birds
 

Mizzely

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You guys are the best! :heart:

My business essentially started because my green cheek didn't like any of the toys at the pet shop! Even Planet Pleasures :( My Hahns was a fan of the PP toys though!

Depending on what your bird likes we usually have a vendor that excels at it!
 

Dona

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I love Super Bird Creations too! Especially their sola toys that are easy to destroy for the littles.
 

scrape

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Two in particular both have bells. One is a ball with wrapped sticks of some kind of fabric (I took out the fabric and just replaced them with paper). The ball is great, because you can reuse it and repurpose it. And the other toy was some plastic chains, leather pieces, beads, and small metal chains. All except the leather is recyclable. My one budgie loves bells and the other likes the leather.
Oh and there was a palm toy with stars and boxes. I gave that one to my cockatiel, but after he tore it up enough, I let the budgies have it.
AND a shreddy soft wood toy. Parker LOVES wood.
I realize those aren't very specific, so if you need pictures, I'm here.:)
 

tka

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Be very careful about bells and metal, particularly if the bird is able or encouraged to play with them. They may contain zinc, which over time builds up in the bird's body and is toxic. Chains can be dangerous if they are not welded - I've seen birds manage to get links stuck on their beaks or tongues. Similarly, some birds manage to remove the clapper from bells and hurt themselves.
 

Monaco

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If I'm at petco or petsmart, I usually get things like skewers or foraging balls, and things that I can keep using.

I don’t think I can not recommend a toy box from @Mizzely . For that amount you can get things you know are safe, and VERY likely to be a hit with your birds!
 

Lady Jane

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In my observations there are no safe bird toys at the chain bird stores. None made in US. The vendors here that sell birds toys are your best bet for safe and well made toys. Just take a look at the sub forum in safety where members have listed and shown unsafe bird toys. None are from our vendors.

 

malibu

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My Chiquita loves and I mean LOVES things for wings (@Danita ) toys and unapproved vendor toys. They are both local to me which is why I go there but they are overall really well priced plus just really cute and nice bird toys. My bird loves balsa and anything shreddable but just go with whatever your birds preferences are. Its just much better to ship good quality toys and support small businesses than large companies that sell poor quality toys.
 

Shezbug

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Yep your best place to buy bird toys is off the vendors here- people who make toys because they love and care for birds as opposed to just loving taking your money......I had purchased a few toys from pet stores but was not impressed with the quality nor danger factors most presented......I can not complain about the toys I have bought from vendors here (oh, oops, that is a lie- the shipping and exchange rate I often complain about but that is with anything I buy from the US lol).
 

mythic55

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Im in the same boat- pet store stuff scares me. Not to mention they sell pets, pets with potential disease, just pets in cages, ick. I cant handle it.
For Toys, I make most of mine:
I do origami with palm fronds
Hemp or seagrass woven with 'found' objects hidden in it and sea shells hanging off that 'jingle' like a little rattle.
And most of the time I just use flowers and hide nuts or seeds in the petals/blossoms.

So when I buy things- its usually raw materials that I cant easily find outside (like Sola or balsa wood, loofa, etc). But its definately better to suport AA members than those nasty box stores. IMO.
 
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